Trump safety panel aims to ditch policy on school discipline
By Collin Binkley
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
The Trump administration on Tuesday moved to roll back an Obama-era policy that was meant to curb racial disparities in school discipline but that critics say left schools afraid to take action against potentially dangerous students.
The recommendation was among dozens issued in a new report by Trump's federal school safety commission, which was formed in response to a Feb. 14 school shooting in Parkland, Florida, that killed 17 students and staff members, and sparked a national debate over gun control.
The panel was asked to study a range of options to bolster security at America's schools, from the regulation of guns to the regulation of violent video games. Yet rather than suggest a series of sweeping changes, the commission issued 100 smaller suggestions that largely avoid strong stances on topics like gun control and whether schools should arm teachers.
'Our conclusions in this report do not impose onesize- fits-all solutions for everyone, everywhere,' said Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, who led the commission. 'The primary responsibility for the physical security of schools and the safety of their students naturally rests with states and local communities.'
Trump praised the report at a White House event Tuesday, saying 'nothing is more important than protecting our nation's children.'
On the question of whether schools should arm staff members, the panel said it should be left to states and schools to decide, but DeVos said schools should 'seriously consider' the option. The report highlights districts that have armed staff members, and it steers schools to federal funding that can be used for firearm training.
Among the biggest proposals is a rollback of 2014 guidance that urges schools not to suspend, expel or report students to police except in the most extreme cases. Instead, the guidance calls for a variety of 'restorative justice' remedies that don't remove students from the classroom.
President Barack Obama's administration issued the guidance after finding that black students were more than three times as likely as their white peers to be suspended or expelled.
The policy came under scrutiny after the Parkland shooting, with some conservatives suggesting it discouraged school officials from reporting the shooter's past behavioral problems to police. Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio, one of the most vocal critics, urged DeVos to find a better balance between discipline and school safety.
In its report, the commission says the policy was well-intentioned but 'may have paradoxically contributed to making schools less safe.'
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos arrived at the recommendations along with the leaders of the departments of Justice, Health and Human Services and Homeland Security.
EVAN VUCCI / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
